Sengoku Babies
by penpaninuSessh
Summary: Loose sequel to "The Inutaisho Legacy" by this author. A look at the parents and children of my second Inuyasha saga.
1. Sesshomaru's Quandary

Reposted 4/06/08. Original authors note is as follows:

These stories will be a loose look at the children of the Sengoku past born to Sango and Miroku, to Koga and Ayame, to Sesshomaru and Rin, and to Shippou and his human wife Kyoko. It is a loosely based sequel to "The Inutaisho Legacy" (shameless plug here) by this author.

Disclaimer: Penpaninu does not claim to own Inuyasha, nor is getting paid to write this. If I could get paid to sit around in my pajamas and write fanfiction, I wouldn't have to deal with annoying customers. Children of characters that don't belong to me, however, belong to me. (Smile)

"Sengoku Babies" chapter one

Sesshomaru's Quandary

Five hundred years into the past

Sesshomaru cradled his infant son in the crook of one arm. He stood on a balcony beneath the full moon and watched the celestial Lord's gleaming smile from the white ball in the sky. The Lord of the Western Lands sighed and looked down at his heir. Daikousai slept contently tucked against his elbow, his small mouth working. His hair was jet black, as dark as Rin's, his ears rounded like a humans and if his eyes were open, they'd be black instead of gold. Sesshomaru found he did not like the nights his son ebbed fully to his more human half, but Inuyasha had given him advice about these times, warning him full in advance, thanks to his own trial and error in his experiences.

It was a hassle keeping this secret from his court and staff these few nights, but Sesshomaru would not have any marks held against his heir. He had gone too far to get him. Daikousai whimpered and snuggled closer again his father's sleeve, his nose working hard to take in his sire's familiar scent. Sesshomaru's own nose worked slightly and he almost made a face. His boy even smelled different these few nights, but he tried to concentrate on the warmth his body still made which was as familiar as the first day when he held him.

"Sleep, son. Your father has you," Sesshomaru rumbled. Daikousai made to fret, then he relaxed, his tiny cheek pressed against the silk of Sesshomaru's sleeping robe.

"Has he gone to rest?" Rin asked softly from behind him. Sesshomaru turned slightly to take in his Lady wife. She pulled her sleeping robe about her and sat up in the wide low bed they shared. Sesshomaru's eyes softened, noting the way her breasts hung heavy with milk and he shifted his stance to keep his thoughts from reaching his groin. His son nestled against his chest and whimpered in his sleep. Sesshomaru looked down at him. His heart thudded at the trust the child in his arms showed.

"He's just now drifted off," Sesshomaru crooned. He stepped carefully into his chambers from the balcony and laid the bundle of fully human infant into his cradle. Rin made to get off the bed and join him but Sesshomaru stopped her.

"You need rest, Rin. Lean on me," he commanded. Rin waited for Sesshomaru to get onto the bed, and leaned back against his stolid chest. His arms lay around her middle and he gently nuzzled her mating mark.

"I just worry when it's the new moon," Rin whispered. She watched the cradle apprehensively until Sesshomaru's kisses got her attention. Sesshomaru was tired too, but you would never know it from the way he held her. Rin closed her eyes and tilted her head back for a kiss. Sesshomaru let her go lean back against the wall of his chest and smoothed his hands over her waist.

"This Sesshomaru does as well," Sesshomaru murmured. He felt Rin's breathing go slack and gently laid her in the bed. He ran a careful hand over her hair and side, watching her sleep. Then the Lord of the Western Lands closed his eyes finally.

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"Hnn… Hnnnn…." Sesshomaru opened his eyes a few hours later as their infant made anxious sounds in his cradle. He would be wailing in thirty seconds if swift action were not taken.

Rin rubbed her eyes and looked at the crib, aghast with weary shock. "I think I'll die of exhaustion," she whispered softly. Sesshomaru patted her side and sat up. His robe hung half parted from his muscular frame. He stood over the cradle and the smallest of quirks lifted the edges of his lips. Daikousai waved his tiny fists, the sunlight gleaming through his white hair. His puppy ears twitched, and his little nose worked, taking in his father's scent. Sesshomaru rumbled lowly and lifted the infant into his hands. Daikousai looked up at him, his golden eyes gleaming. And he quieted down when Sesshomaru carried him to the bed.

"Rin, our heir requires his feeding," Sesshomaru whispered. Rin opened her eyes and tried not to groan. Sesshomaru knew her body was exhausted and he could not fault her, but he was here too. Half the work was put on him, wasn't it?

"I know, Sesshomaru-sama… let me… have a minute…." Rin rubbed the circles under her eyes and sat up. Sesshomaru let her lean against him and worked Daikousai into her arms. His hands parted her robe for their son and Daikousai murmured as he fed. Rin sang softly, her fingers stroking his white hair. Sesshomaru moved aside when Rin burped their heir. Daikousai clung to his mother's shoulder and looked wide-eyed at Sesshomaru with silent glowing eyes. Sesshomaru regarded his boy with a brief nod.

"The night has passed, Rin. He's safe again," Sesshomaru murmured. Daikousai yawned and snuggled against Rin's shoulder. Rin nodded and rubbed his tiny back.

"You have to tell your dignitaries not to bother us on these nights, my lord. They can't know," Rin whispered. Sesshomaru nodded and took their son.

"The kitsune Shippou came last night to extend his wishes to our family. My lady would do well to remember he and his would not forsake our heir's inherent humanity. This Sesshomaru has asked his son to be our ward," Sesshomaru intoned. He rocked Daikousai. Rin ran a hand over Sesshomaru's leg and lay down, closing her eyes.

"That is well and good my lord. Shippou has a fine son," Rin yawned. Sesshomaru watched her and stood with Daikousai in his arms. He gently rocked him lest he wake his mother. His lady was well and truly tired. He would take the boy with him.

"Sleep, Rin. This one will take the heir," Sesshomaru murmured. Daikousai watched him with mild interest. Rin passed out as he left, allowing the servants to click the doors shut behind him.

"My lord, will you require our assistance?" About five maids and three guards zipped up and bowed low as he exited the royal bedchambers. Sesshomaru handed his heir over carefully to a maid, his eyes coldly promising death if she mishandled his son. The young youkai trembled and crooned softly to Daikousai. Daikousai watched her with as much interest as Sesshomaru had.

"Yes, this one will carry our heir. This Sesshomaru will require the morning meal, and any business brought to our attention," Sesshomaru intoned. He set a deliberate pace for the maid to follow, his senses keeping his heir close to him. Daikousai shifted in her arms, restless without his sire's arms. But Sesshomaru knew he could smell him, and that would alleviate some of his worry. Damn these appearances. Sesshomaru wanted to keep his son with him in his arms, and close to his scent, damned what the other youkai thought. But he was not weak, so he would appear strong. Daikousai was well cared for in the arms of the young maid. Appearances were kept.

Sesshomaru still growled under his breath when the maid made to take Daikousai away from the low meal table he dined at usually with Rin and his half brother's family. The maid yelped and knelt down, cradling the heir. Daikousai burbled and watched her, his eyes gleaming with slight fascination. Sesshomaru chuckled and dined delicately. You would never tell how exhausted he was.

"Sesshomaru-sama! I have come as requested, Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken squawked and charged into the room. He bent down on one knee by Sesshomaru's leg, trembling for his approval. Sesshomaru murmured and sipped his wine.

"This Sesshomaru did not ask to see you," Sesshomaru murmured. Jaken looked up, his face stretched with fear.

"But my lord! You have left the royal bedchambers! Surely you would need this Jaken's assistance for anything!" Jaken pleaded. Sesshomaru set his chopsticks down, and smoothed his sleeves over his wrists.

"Myoga-ojii will suffice," Sesshomaru went on. Jaken saw his life of favor flash before his eyes until his lord went on. "However, you will stay at the heir's side whether he is with The Lady of the Western Lands or not."

Jaken looked up, his face stretched in an uproarious grin. "Yes, my lord Sesshomaru! It will be done!" The young maid turned her nose up as the repulsive goblin hopped over to guard her side. Daikousai squirmed as he neared.

"Good," Sesshomaru demurred. "Just remain silent."

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama!"

"Ah," Daikousai echoed. Sesshomaru let his cold gaze settle on the boy and returned to his meal. That damn young maid squirmed and blushed every time he looked over as if he favored her. Did anyone consider their self that fortunate to have this Sesshomaru's attention? The only woman that attracted his desires was Rin and he would not disturb her rest. He was looking over merely to watch his son.

This Sesshomaru did not trust anyone with his child alone.

"My lord Sesshomaru, there are scrolls awaiting your approval," A large burly guard bowed low on one knee, shouldering his yari. Sesshomaru finished his wine and stood, his sleeping robe immaculate.

"We will receive him in our study. You will follow this Sesshomaru," Sesshomaru barked at the young maid. She trembled with a blush, but followed, Daikousai burbling merrily in her arms. Jaken kept pace with her long legs easily.

Sesshomaru was content to look over scrolls from his dignitaries, with Jaken and the maid seated across from his desk, more so he could keep an eye on his son. Daikousai made a time of her services, spitting up on her kimono, soiling his swaddling bands and screeching to be fed. Sesshomaru watched his son with the beginnings of that rare smile on his face.

"You may leave him with us and return with the Lady Rin," Sesshomaru commanded the maid. The maid bowed, handed the squirmy bundle to Jaken and backed out of the study, her gaze lowered respectfully. Jaken squawked and protested as Daikousai squirmed, getting used to his particular scent.

"It's okay little master Sesshomaru-sama, it's only your servant Jaken! Buuuuh," Jaken crossed his large eyes and Daikousai squealed, then regarded him as seriously as Sesshomaru would have. Sesshomaru smiled and set his seal to his edicts.

"He is a fine child, my lord!" Jaken went on, to carry conversation. He had had practice caring for Inutaro, and Daikousai was a gentler infant in the first place.

"This Sesshomaru is inclined to say that is a fact," Sesshomaru murmured, setting his scrolls in order to be delivered. Daikousai squirmed when Rin entered, the young youkai maid at her heels, her gaze lowered respectfully.

"You may leave us," Sesshomaru commanded her and held his hand out for his Lady. Rin knelt at his side and blushed when Sesshomaru parted the lapels of her simple kimono, baring her to the waist. Jaken blushed and stammered, averting his gaze elsewhere from the sight of Rin's breasts. He bowed and offered Daikousai to the Lady's arms and kept his face to the floor as Daikousai latched onto a dark nipple and sucked.

"Jaken, leave us," Sesshomaru rumbled. He couldn't stop the fit of rage he felt for the brief glance his loyal servant had of his lady's breasts, even if servants could be present for that sort of thing. It was his family, after all.

"Of course, Sesshomaru-sama! A fine afternoon to you, my Lady Rin," Jaken backed out on his hands and knees and the door slid shut behind him. Sesshomaru sat behind Rin and sniffed her bare neck around her hair. Rin smiled and looked up over her shoulder at him. Daikousai looked up at his father out of the corner of his eye, his small hand pressed against the curve of his mother's breast.

"It's only Jaken-sama, my lord Sesshomaru. He is almost my family too," Rin gently chided her husband. Sesshomaru watched her, his face still, but his eyes danced with warmth.

"This Sesshomaru does not want anyone to see his lady's admirable curves," Sesshomaru demurred. His arms lay around her waist and he sighed when Rin leaned her head back against his chest. Daikousai took his mouth from her nipple and sighed, flicking his golden eyes up to his mother.

"Oh, he needs to burp….. excuse me, my lord," Rin said, moving aside and lifting Daikousai to her shoulder with a rag. She rubbed his tiny back and Daikousai nestled against her, squirming and sighing. Sesshomaru looked up at the doors, his nose working hard and sat up. His hair was slightly tangled and cascaded to his waist, and his sleeping yukata very simple, but he looked every bit a lord.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked. She cradled Daikousai in her arms. Sesshomaru smirked and commanded the doors open. Shippou stood on the other side, looking largely out of place in his peasant hakama, haori, and fox vest. His topknot hung long over one shoulder, and he cradled a bundle inside his happi coat.

"My lord!" Shippou grinned and bowed on one knee. His tail swished around his hip. Sesshomaru nodded and grunted in response.

"How does your heir fare?" Sesshomaru asked. Shippou grinned and opened his coat, revealing his half kitsune son, red-faced and red-haired and interested to his surroundings.

"I brought him over real quick to meet your approval, my lord. I see your lady holding your own heir. He's a handsome boy," Shippou greeted happily. Rin smiled and kissed Daikousai's brow.

"Thank you, Shippou-sama," she said. Shippou grinned at her.

Sesshomaru welcomed the kitsune into his study and welcomed his son into his protection. Akigawa regarded the tall white lord with wide green eyes. Jaken peeked into the study and saw the three adults in gentle company, the infant boys together.

End for now

Like it? Hate it? Send a review

Most sincerely yours, penpaninu 5/07/06. Reposted 4/06/08


	2. Inutaro's Terrible Two's

Reposted 4/06/08. Original author's note is as follows:

Here we go again into the side loose sequel to "The Inutaisho Legacy" by this one. A look into the children of the past and the children of the future. It's a side project as this one is spending all energy into "Impoverished Heir."

Dedicated to InuSkye. Much luv to you ai.

Disclaimer: Penpaninu does not claim to own Inuyasha nor is getting paid to write this. Does claim to be inu however..

"Sengoku Babies" chapter two

Inutaro's Terrible Two's

"Mama! Mama!" Inutaro screeched. Kagome huffed and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"Inuyasha get in here and help me with him!" Kagome swore. Inutaro hung over her arm and wailed. His teeth showed jagged and small in his open mouth as he screeched and threw a tantrum. Souta covered his ears and glared over his shoulder at his older sister.

"He's been screaming all day! Can't you give him some Nyquil and knock him out?" he wanted to know. Kagome made a face at her ototo and would have flipped him off but Inutaro was learning all sorts of gestures if you weren't careful to hide it from him.

"He's just fussy! All babies go through this, and Mama said you were worse!" Kagome insisted. Souta grit his teeth and hunched his shoulders, staring at the tv. He cradled his playstation controller in his hands and tried to concentrate on his game.

"MAAAAAAAA!" Inutaro's wailing grew louder and Kagome juggled him.

"Sit down, baby, do you want your bear?" Kagome asked frantically. She set Inutaro on his diapered bottom and held her brow with one shaking hand. Inutaro clutched his teddy and screeched unhappily at his mother.

"Inuyasha, get in here!" Kagome peeked into the other room. Inuyasha was curled up on the floor in a ball, his wiry muscles showing through his white wife beater, his legs hidden in his billowy hakama.

"Wuh wuh I'm up! I'm good!" Inuyasha lifted his head suddenly. His golden eyes were blurred and he looked dizzy. Kagome sighed with exasperation.

"Just get in here, Inuyasha! And PLEASE help me with Inutaro," she pleaded. Inuyasha crawled into the other room and looked down into his son's face. He was red from all his screaming and hiccupping now that his voice was about shot.

"Paaapaaaa," Inutaro greeted him unhappily, his eyes filled with fat tears. Inuyasha kissed the top of his white head and lay back down on the floor, curling up around his son. Inutaro fisted the thin strap of his tank top and fretted softly, babyish sobs filling the room. Souta peeked over his shoulder and sighed.

"How come he never quiets down for me?" he wanted to know. Kagome collapsed on the couch.

"That's what I want to know," she groused, slitting her eyelids shut. Inutaro crawled over his father's side and patted him on the back with his bear. Inuyasha snored.

It was only two in the afternoon.

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By bedtime, the young parents were fit to be tied. Mama Higurashi was a good sport as young grandmothers went, but even she looked haggard and Jii-chan wisely stayed in his shrine office and out of trouble. Inutaro was on the rampage. He had been crawling for a year, and toddling for three months so he was getting into absolutely everything. Souta had had a fine time explaining some rather scanty magazines he had stashed under his bed when his nephew had gotten into his bedroom. He kept his door closed when Inutaro was on the move now. It was safer that way.

Inuyasha rocked Inutaro, growling lowly under his breath. His pup enjoyed his baths now, but in his grumpy state, he splashed far more in retaliation than play. Kagome and he always came away looking like drowned rats. Inuyasha bounced Inutaro as he babbled rather happily. The young father was shirtless, his hakama soaked through from their nightly adventure with water. Kagome was changing and he had the task of trying to get their rowdy boy down to sleep. It seemed the older Inutaro got the more rambunctious he got and wanted to be into everything his parents were into.

"Go to sleep. Just go to sleep, please!" Inuyasha pleaded. Inutaro screeched and punched him in the shoulder. His chubby diapered form was bouncing every which way and Inuyasha growled, tucking him full under one arm like a football, and walked him into his nursery.

"PEEEEP!" Inutaro protested, flailing. Inuyasha ignored him, then picked him up and set him in his crib. Inutaro immediately climbed to his feet and fisted the bars of his crib.

"Peeeep up!" he yelled. Inuyasha swept his hair over one shoulder and grimaced.

"Go to sleep, pup! Papa needs his rest!" Inuyasha groused. Inutaro shook the bars and howled.

"Noooooo!"

Inuyasha grit his teeth and set Inutaro's small radio onto a classical channel. Kagome insisted on having their son listen to that soft music in hopes of stimulating his mind. Inutaro wailed as Inuyasha shut his door and he trudged back to Kagome's room. He reflected that it didn't seem to help any. Inuyasha bumped into Mrs. Higurashi in the hall and smiled uneasily.

"Oh, sorry about that…"

"It's okay, Inuyasha. Don't worry, he'll wear himself out," Mama Higurashi smiled but you could see the exhaustion lining her eyes. Inuyasha gave her an apologetic look and poked into Souta's room to say goodnight. His younger brother-in-law had his pillow over his head, and didn't answer.

Inuyasha sighed and listened to his pup wail and scream as he found Kagome in her room. She was combing her long hair, grimacing with exhaustion. Inuyasha flung himself on her bed and pulled the covers over his head.

"He won't let up," Inuyasha growled. Kagome smoothed her nightgown out and pulled the covers from her husband. Inuyasha glared at her.

"Don't go to sleep yet. I haven't had any time with you for days," Kagome said. She rubbed his thighs through the baggy hakama but Inuyasha scowled.

"I'm fucking tired, Kagome! Aren't you exhausted too? He's been screaming for days!" Inuyasha complained.

"Well just looking at him even when he's fussy makes me think of the work that went into making him," Kagome soothed. She leaned on the bed to kiss her husband but he held her at arms length.

"All the better that we don't make another one! Our pup's too much and he's only had two name days!" Inuyasha asserted. Kagome smacked his arms and when Inuyasha whined, she wormed her way against his chest and settled on top.

"I'm warning you, Kagome, get off of me!" he growled. Kagome giggled and pressed kisses down his chest.

"Don't be so grouchy! I love you, you know," Kagome said. She yawned and Inuyasha wound his fingers through her hair.

"There, knew you were tired," he leered. Kagome rubbed against him and stretched.

"He is a lot of work, but wouldn't you like another baby? At least one day again?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha listened to his pup fret and complain in the other but his screams decreased in volume.

"Hey, he's quieting down," Inuyasha noticed. Kagome kissed his chin.

"You see? It's not so bad. And I want another baby from you," she declared. Inuyasha smiled.

"Well, when you put it that way…. Hey, get out of there!"

"How about we start on the next one now?" Kagome asked impishly. They wrestled against each other for dominance.

"No! Kagome, we're not having another one right now!" Inuyasha yelped. "Stop touching me!"

"Moooooouu you don't want me to touch you? I want you to touch me," Kagome pouted. She settled her hips against his in her position on top.

Inuyasha's hands twitched above her back.

"I'm not gonna do anything to give us more noise right now! You got pupped quick with Inutaro as it was!" Inuyasha protested. Kagome laughed and murmured lowly to him. Slaps of flesh could be heard outside of the room as Inuyasha yelped.

"But come on… give me another one," Kagome giggled.

"No!"

"You know you want to…"

"Kagome, get off me!"

"Noooo you're impossible!"

"I told you, I don't want to!"

"Isn't that my line?"

"That's it, get off!"

Kagome was tossed unceremoniously onto the floor where she landed on her back, her legs still on top of the mattress. Inuyasha glared down at her. Kagome stared up at him and smacked his leg with her foot.

"You didn't have to throw me, Inuyasha! Why are you scared about getting me pregnant?" Kagome took her legs off the couch and rolled on her side to get up. Inuyasha lay on his back, his arm across his belly.

"Because it was so fast last time and something happened to me! I'm just…."

"You're scared something similar will happen if I conceive?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha looked up at her and nodded.

"That's ridiculous, love. Besides, you can't get me pregnant easily. I've been taking the pill awhile now," Kagome said.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her. "The Pill? What's that?"

"It's a drug I take every day, Inuyasha," Kagome answered.

"But what's it for? Are you sick?" Inuyasha ran his hand through her hair.

"No, it's to regulate my cycle."

"Muh?" Inuyasha asked.

"It means," Kagome kissed his cheek. "That I control when I conceive."

Inuyasha's mind went into overdrive.

"You mean you can't be pupped right now?" he asked. Kagome nodded.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well you were being so obstinate I thought I'd… Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha rolled Kagome onto her back and pinned her arms above her head.

"You brought this on yourself," he teased. Inutaro's wailing stopped them a few minutes later however.

"I'll get him," Inuyasha groused. Kagome lay tangled in the sheets and yawned, watching him take off.

"What now? Huh? What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked, sliding into the nursery. Inutaro grinned and spit out a mouthful of feathers.

"Look!" he insisted. Inuyasha groaned. His pup had torn open his pillow and scattered the feathers within around. It looked like a chicken had been plucked in there.

"No, pup! No!" Inuyasha whined. He took the remains of the pillow from his son and dropped it onto the floor, then collected him into his arms. Inutaro wailed at the loss of his prize and waved his hands frantically, trying to reach stray floating feathers.

"Are you okay in there?" Mama Higurashi called. Souta groaned audibly from his room.

"Just fine! Gotta clean something up," Inuyasha called. Inutaro clawed his shoulder. Inuyasha bounced him sharply.

"Don't do that to your old man!" he hissed. Inutaro pooched his lower lip out and pouted.

Inuyasha carried Inutaro into the bathroom to brush feathers out of his hair and to clean his hands off. He caught a glimpse of his boy and himself in the mirror going in and reflected that even though he was growing up into a handful, he was his and he loved him.

"Okay, pup, sit still for your papa. Sit still!" Inuyasha pleaded. Inutaro plopped down and slammed his palms up and down on the tiled floor. He giggled as his father wet a washcloth and scrubbed at his arms.

"You need to stop attacking and eating things…" Inuyasha grumbled. Inutaro grinned madly. He spit out another feather. Inuyasha groaned.

End for now

Like it? Hate it? Send a review! This one enjoys them.

Most sincerely penpaninu 5/30/06. Reposted 4/06/08.


	3. Human on the Inside

I have a few ideas for this loose sequel to my "Inutaisho Legacy" saga but haven't had time to work on it for awhile. I love writing about Sesshomaru, Rin, and their fears that many people can relate to. Who's ever felt like a stranger in a strange land? Perhaps you moved to a place that you haven't been raised or been at for very long; some people are nice, but overall, you feel like you don't get the point of the culture if you're not from there. And that can be disconcerting. Obviously I've experienced this, and I wanted to encorporate some of this into Rin's perspective. However, she's alittle different because she was raised with youkai since she was a child. I'm just looking at her fear of the youkai view of her position.

Dedicated in part to this bard's fiancee. Lovely wife, this one's for you.

The chapter title comes from the name of a Pretenders song. Give it a listen, it's pretty good.

Disclaimer: Penpaninu does not claim to own the likeness or the characters of Inuyasha, they belong to the solely imaginative Takahashi Rumiko. Her work was the first anime things I saw or read, so thanks!

"Sengoku Babies" chapter three

"Human on the Inside"

Rin walked grandly into the throne room. Her long black hair hung in precise plaits halfway down her back. The hem of her elaborately layered kimono trailed behind her on the polished wood floor. A wave of monstrously formed male and female youkai, delegates and courtiers, all bowed low in unison at her arrival. Rin, Lady of the Western Lands, wife to Lord Sesshomaru, held her head proudly and walked forward softly. Her gait was straight and perfect, her poise admirable. Rin saw several toothy smiles and the direct gaze of sharp eyes, but she kept calm deep in her belly. She learned long ago how to hold her cool in a wave of resentment.

No words had been spoken about her directly in the years she lived there, but behind the gracious words and cool tones, Rin could tell she was not loved by her Sesshomaru-sama's youkai court. They resented her and the resentment grew when Sesshomaru kept her, raised her, schooled her and then mated her. She was the sole person in her lord's multi-hundred year lifespan to receive his mark, and carried it beneath her kimono collar with pride.

Rin felt the eyes on her that mattered, and lifted her gaze to Sesshomaru's still expression. He was up on the high dais waiting, that tall platform with the elaborate table throne. Two flat cushions sat side by side and Sesshomaru was already kneeling at his own. His golden eyes enstilled his usual security and strength. Rin's red lips lifted softly and her slippered feet carried her softly the rest of the distance across the cavernous throne room. Inu youkai royal tradition dictated that the Lord of the Western Lands could have as many wives as possible, but Sesshomaru regarded such petty ideas with a large amount of disdain that his own try to place it on him. Even when Rin was a small girl, he had met this idea with cool hate.

Was he not the heir-son of the great Inutaisho-sama, the formidable Inu youkai with unsurpassable strength? He had proven that tradition ill-kept. Inutaisho had had only one youkai wife, and then Inuyasha's human mother. It may have been that Sesshomaru was raised with only Inutaisho's example, but Rin knew better. He hated anyone he didn't trust, and he didn't trust any of the youkai court. Sesshomaru hated embarrassment and he hated unneeded drama. Many wives would mean she wouldn't have been able to win his heart, and it would have even meant a fatal road for her.

In a world of youkai, strength meant victory. Rin had had a hard time conceiving and carrying Daikousai. If she had had to deal with other wives who would have taken her trials to their advantage, she knew she wouldn't have survived. She could only thank any kami listening that Sesshomaru only wanted her. Rin was his sole wife, and she meant to remain that way.

Sesshomaru's captain of guards, a large bull youkai known for getting the job done, bowed low on one knee and offered his hoof to Rin. She laid her small pale hand gently over it and used his help up the small flight of steps leading up to the table throne.

"My lady," he rumbled, his eyes lowered respectfully. Rin smiled and delicately rose ot the first step. He gently lifted to aid her better and soon she was ascending to her place at her lord's side. She had always liked this captain, because he unlike others, was sincere in his respects to her. She knew when he came and bowed, that he meant his devotion.

"My thanks, Captain," she whispered. The skin at the base of the Bull's thick neck reddened slightly. Sesshomaru regarded his captain with an icy gaze until Rin knelt at his side. Her layers settled around her in a wide arc and slowly fluttered down around her. Several female youkai smiled indulgently at her dark beauty and flaunted their looks before the throne but Sesshomaru was as unmoveable as stone. Rin felt good knowing he hated such flirtation, but it only made the delegates try harder. She sighed, feeling ice form inside her belly.

She may be his only wife with the most devoted Lord one could ask for, but it didn't meant that many didn't try Sesshomaru's patience.

The youkai lords seemed to send more female courtiers to his lands, and beneath the poetic words and the promises from their lords, they seemed to be out for only one thing. Sesshomaru dismissed their advances, left and right, and punished those responsible for such deliberate bribery with deeming harsh sentences or bodily mutilation. He wasn't one to forgive being crossed, Rin knew, but she knew his sentences, no matter how much they turned her stomach, were made to safeguard her place at his side, and their son's inheritance.

As always, Rin couldn't help from darting her gaze around her surroundings, her gut turning over at the thought of her son. When he wasn't with her, she knew she would always feel this way. Daikousai was hanyou, and as such, would always have a hard life in a world of demons. He wasn't in the throne room today, so Rin relaxed slightly. Jaken was watching him, and was the only one she trusted near her son when she had to be away.

"This Sesshomaru will hear your concerns at this time. Any insult borne in the Western Lands are an insult to this Sesshomaru," Sesshomaru rumbled. His low words reached every sharp ear in the room. Rin kept her eyes forward as the courtiers approached the throne one at a time to voice their exclaimations. The delegations for today had begun.

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"Mama! Mama!" Daikousai shouted happily. Rin smiled as she glided alone into her son's nursery. She knelt down, her kimono flaring and held her arms out for her child to crash into.

"Come here, baby," she crooned. Daikousai lurched out of Jaken's grasp and ran on chubby toddler legs, flying up on his last step to knock her back on her heels. "Ohhh! You're so heavy!"

"Hee," Daikousai grinned. His small sharp teeth glinted as he looked into Rin's dark eyes. Rin laughed as he panted when she tickled behind his ears. They wiggled like mad, reflecting his joy. Rin sobered slightly as she stroked the round cheeks of her son's face. His golden eyes gazed back, silent, as he took in his mother's suddenly serious mood.

"Mama sad?" he asked. Rin smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"No, Dai-chan. I was just thinking if your uncle would visit again soon," she said. Daikousai's eyes sparkled at the mention and he wriggled importantly.

"Unc' Yasha coming," he urged. Rin nodded and kissed his sweet-smelling brow.

"He just might be."

"Yeeeah!"

His uncle, the Lord Inuyasha, was a great pillar of strength in upping her son's appearance to Sesshomaru's court, no matter how stuck-up he thought they were. Rin admired his belligerent attitude in dealing with the annoyances she had to maintain with on a daily basis. While she longed to say what she wanted, Inuyasha seemed to speak for all of them in his verbal tongue-lashings.

Plus, he helped explain things any mother would need to know about her half-demon son's upbringing. Inuyasha had been the one to warn her about the nights of the new moon. He had explained to Sesshomaru about his limitations of scent, and even had taught their baby son how to hold certain smells and how to hone the sharp hearing of his puppy ears. He helped with Daikousai almost more than his own son, Inutaro, and Rin could only be grateful. While Inutaro was quarter demon, he was more human by far and could live in Kagome-sama's world with relative acceptance. He was exotic with only a handful of differences that could be easily maintained.

Daikousai was hanyou, and Inuyasha himself could easily relate. They were both half Inu and half human, both neither fully set in one world or the other. Great abilities were had to hold a piece of both sides, but there was always the conflict of being reminded that they didn't belong wholly in either.

"Daikousai-sama! You should get off your mother! Lady Rin, I'm so sorry! He just ran and attacked you!" Jaken fluttered nearby, hopping up and down. Rin smiled and kissed Daikousai's hair. He settled back on his rear, leaning against Rin's chest. She wrapped her arms around his small body. Her wide sleeves covered him all but nearly up.

"It's alright, Jaken-sama. Allow a mother this simple joy when the others aren't around," she asked. Jaken smiled and nodded.

"O-of course, Rin-sama! I would be glad to," he squawked. Daikousai regarded him seriously.

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Rin had eaten a simple dinner with Jaken and Daikousai alone in her private chambers, but now that her son was put down and Jaken was on guard, she went in search of her husband. Sesshomaru had been treating with the dignitaries long after he released the court to leave, but he never let it consume his full time.

It was passing strange that he would be gone this long. Rin remembered the knowing looks of the female youkai and tried not to shudder. They may thought they had a chance at her lord husband, but she remembered the day Sesshomaru had sent a bag of hands, all the claws well manicured, back to several of his lords. It was a gruesome memory, but a grim reminder that she was all that Sesshomaru wanted near him.

It didn't help with the daily fears sometimes. Rin glided along in a simpler kimono than the one she wore earlier, her gaze darting from side to side carefully. Usually she would find Sesshomaru in the gardens and it was there that her feet took her. A beautiful waterfall cascaded down into a pool lined with pristine white rocks. The noise of the water silenced most of the youkai world and Rin felt at peace.

Then she heard her husband's low voice around a nearby corner and she halted. A feminine giggle resounded with his tone. Rin swallowed, took a deep breath, and walked around the wall of rock. Sesshomaru stood there, in his elaborate white kimono trimmed with red crystantheums. A curved female stood at his side. Her golden eyes took in Rin insolently and she stopped in her tracks. She wanted to be sick, she wanted to fall down. Sesshomaru's gaze was as unreadable as his court face, but that could mean anything.

Rin wanted to shout, she wanted to throw off her calm exterior and demand what was going on. She recognized the female as one of the visiting dignitaries from the court room today, but she had no right to be alone with her lord. Sesshomaru had never given Rin any reason to doubt his loyalty, so this was unnecessary as it was questionable.

"My lady," Sesshomaru rumbled. His pectoral muscles were rigid, pushing his chest forward against his kimono lapels. Rin's gaze could have sliced him in two. "I have been more than ready to conclude todays business."

He pointedly meant for the youkai woman to scram and fast. The git luckily could take a hint and fell into a graceful bow towards him. Her bow to Rin was sloppily belligerent. "My thanks for hearing me on your own time, Lord Sesshomaru," she simpered.

Rin and Sesshomaru both ignored her. Her footsteps took her away and both stood stock-still long after she vanished around the wall of rock. The cascading water drowned out all surrounding noise, but Sesshomaru cooly inhaled his mate's anger and confusion. He knew she would want some explaining and he readied himself.

Sesshomaru knew Rin couldn't disappoint him, so when she stepped forward and laid her small palm against the silk of his kimono and heard her first question, he wasn't surprised.

"What were you doing along with her?" Rin wanted to know. Sesshomaru looked down into his mate's questioning gaze. Rin was angry, he could tell, but she was hiding a good deal of it behind a wall of calm politeness.

"She had concerns of a minor lord, is all. Why she needed to surprise this Sesshomaru in his gardens is beyond question," Sesshomaru admitted. He had told Rin the truth, he had come out here alone with every intent to clear his mind after the session at court. His pecs pushed against Rin's hand noticeably.

Rin's eyes softened ever so slightly as she felt the heartbeat behind his kimono layers. That double-chambered heart beat solely for her and her fingers carressed the fabric gently.

"Are you sure? You know what these courtiers are like," Rin asked softly. Sesshomaru swept his sole hand behind Rin's neck. His claws twined in her loose hair and he bowed his head down to hers.

"This Sesshomaru knows everyone's false intentions for our own," Sesshomaru murmured. "This Sesshomaru is tired of all of the eyes on the Western Lands. You should not have to be subject to what this Sesshomaru must handle at all times."

Rin sighed and curled her arms up around her husband's neck. She held herself up on her tiptoes to embrace him better. She felt much better when Sesshomaru's arm went full around her waist. She knew Sesshomaru was more open with his affections when they were alone, but even she was surprised at how fast his hand turned her head up to his for a kiss.

Rin melted against the wall of Sesshomaru's strong chest.

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It had been been days since that disturbing episode, and while Rin was happier with Sesshomaru's unasking forgiveness for the questionable incident, she still found cause for small concern.

The female youkai had been fortunate not to be dismembered for trapping Lord Sesshomaru alone had remained at the court for several more days longer than her lord's concerns allowed. She had bowed to the Lady Rin as courtesy demanded, but Rin could feel the laughing disdain behind the careful courtier's facade. Sesshomaru felt more agitated through their link, as he doggedly dealt with the legal matters by day and the domestic ones by night. He carried Daikousai close to his chest and doted on him when alone with his family. He showered Rin with touch and embrace, of course when alone from the court and even Jaken.

Rin felt as tight as a coiled wire in his arms. She couldn't keep from feeling Sesshomaru was trying to make up for a tryst, intended or accidental. Even when it didn't match up with his track record of rigid loyalty, Rin knew she had to be wrong. But she couldn't help the nervous dread that was slowly building up in her.

On the night when all the courtiers departed the Western Palace for the season, Rin felt free enough to express herself. When Sesshomaru came to her that night and made to take her into his arm, she was ready for a fight.

"Do you want other woman?" she asked lowly. Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side, his golden eyes questioning. His face was its usual still expression.

"Why does our Lady ask?" he rumbled. Rin hugged her sleeping robe around her curves. She held the garment close together to keep her body from her Lord's gaze. She didn't want his thoughts to go THAT way at a time like this.

"Because your Lady has every right to know when your Lady is your only wife," Rin snapped. Sesshomaru's eyebrow raised high. It was highly unusual for his Rin to exhibit such needless anger. He had to say, it was having the opposite effect on him. His arousal pushed forward slightly at the front of his robe.

Sesshomaru sighed and lowered his golden eyes to Rin's sharp black. "You are this Sesshomaru's only wife. You are the only wife this Sesshomaru needs," he said smoothly.

Rin smacked her palm against his chest. That got his attention again. "Then why didn't you punish that woman that was with you like all the others!"

Sesshomaru blinked. "Did you want her hands?"

"What? No!" This time it was Rin's turn to blink. "Why, did she touch you?"

"No." Sesshomaru's tone was flat. "This Sesshomaru does not give anyone the chance but you."

Rin fisted the fabric of her lord's robe and gazed up into his beloved timeless features. "I can't stand that woman for thinking she could, for trying... what would have happened if I hadn't come to?..."

"Rin!" Sesshomaru barked. He interrupted his wife with an abrupt kiss. He felt her accept him through their mark and he relaxed as she melted against his front. Just as abruptly, he lifted his face from Rin's. She stared at him, confused.

"What?" she asked. Sesshomaru carefully parted her robe open. Rin swatted his hand. Sesshomaru looked back into her eyes. Passion fueled his.

"You are the only one this Sesshomaru wants to be with. You are the only one this Sesshomaru dedicates himself to. Rin... Rin!" Sesshomaru turned his wife's face up to his when she turned away. "Accept that that's the way it is!"

Rin answered by grabbing the lapels of his robe and pulling wide. The silk tore with her abrupt and violent movement, exposing Sesshomaru's pale torso and belly. Part of the robe hung on his pressing manhood. He found he liked this ferocity in his mate.

"Rin..."

"You're going to need a new robe later, my Lord. Accept that THAT'S the way it is," she said. Sesshomaru grabbed Rin up in his arm and pressed her down on the bed. Afterwards, Rin lay curled against Sesshomaru's warm side, her cheek against his chest. She felt deeply connected to her lord and their marks throbbed in unison.

Sesshomaru ran his claws through Rin's black hair. He felt compelled to speak the words to help seal the conclusion to their days of trial but when he parted his lips, Rin touched her mouth to them.

"Rin..."

"My lord... you already explained. I know," she whispered. Sesshomaru's lips curved in the rare smiles only Rin saw alone in their chambers. The moon shone brightly through their open window as Rin knelt down again.

The next kiss lasted the rest of the night.

End for now

Hope you liked it! Sometimes I like doing a short story or two when marriage, work and my Impoverished Heir saga don't demand my full time :P Obviously Rin has matured to the years of a young woman, but has a longer lifespan thanks to her mated relationship with Sessh. Like it? Love it? Type a review! It only takes two seconds, and believe me, it's author's writing fuel. I thank each review in turn as well, so go on, make my doggy day!

penpaninu 4/06/08


	4. First Date

I love doing these short Inuyasha stories, they're too much fun! In the predawn of getting up at 4 am, my lovely and I get to catch an hour of Inuyasha from 5 to 6 :P Second season reruns are lots of fun and oddly, the episodes set in the modern days inspire my writing more than anything else! They're what inspired Intended Mate, after all :P They really help me to see this boy with long white hair and feudal clothing strolling around downtown with a ballcap on his head.

This one came about solely from a scene where Kagome was talking to her schoolfriends on the sidewalk about Hojo. Then the opening scene kicked out in my head, taking Kagome from where my story leaves off in Inutaisho Legacy, listening to other schoolgirls talking about a boy. Her thoughts just poured out and I had to write them. Besides, Kagome as a mama is a really sexy image!

Dedicated in full to my fiancee/live-in-wife. I consider us married already since we legally cannot, but there you have it. Lovely, you're one of a kind and your sweet side is your best side. When we enjoy things like Inuyasha which we love, and a good breakfast, I am inspired to create scenes from my head once more. Should we go to an anime con as Kagome and Inuyasha or... Sesshomaru and Inuyasha?? Readers, which would be more fun to see, Sessh kissing Yash in public, or Kagome and Inuyasha? :P

Dedicated in part to Inugrrrl! Ki, grrl, hope you take a gander at this, it's a punk break from Heir, but hopefully I'll write some at work tomorrow. Yeah, I'm terrible like that! Why oh why do I have to do more plot now? :P I'm in a very laschivious mood!

For all who read my stories and those who comment, this is for you also. Please share your thoughts, and review. Only takes one second and it really helps a writer, believe me!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all characters and likenesses of the show belong to Takahashi Rumiko, Shonen Sunday, Viz Media and whoever animated it in Japan... I did a search on wikipedia just to refresh my memory but ah the mind, it goes... what a waste! :P None of them belong to me, however. Just to the wonderfully talented woman who invented them!

Sengoku Babies chapter four

"First Date??"

"I've seen Satoru watching you! He might ask you out..."

"Hee! That would be wonderful! If only..."

"Your first one, right? I wonder what would happen!"

Kagome looked over her shoulder at the trio of schoolgirls, a soft smile on her youthful face. She was still young at 21, with the face of eternal youth keeping even the dark circles of exhaustion from the shadows of her eyes. But compared to these teenagers, she felt ancient. The three girls clad in matching school uniforms leaned close across their table in the foodcourt, sharing greasy french fries that would not show an ounce of fat on their skinny bodies. Kagome watched them with an odd pang of longing until Megumi screeched, and pushed her sippy cup away.

"Maaa!" she insisted, watching Kagome with partially golden eyes. Kagome smiled and lifted her two year old daughter up against her chest and rocked her. She had been shopping for new clothing and odds and ends for her small family at the large mall downtown, and had stopped to enjoy a rare treat. In front of her, a paper cup with a fastfood logo sat importantly, its plastic straw crooked invitingly. Within lay the tastiest of frozen treats, the chocolate milkshake! Kagome smiled sadly and leaned forward with Megumi wondering over her shoulder, to take another sip.

She and her friends had loved coming to Wacdonalds to share junk food...

"Come on! Like you've had your first date!" another of the schoolgirls argued with her friends. Kagome cocked her head to listen and murmured softly to her wiggly daughter.

"I have! Kennichi walked with me through the park, all the way to my house..."

The girls erupted.

"That's not a real date! He didn't take you anywhere, he just walked WITH you home! He lives in the same building as you, Mayu!"

"So was a date! He even kissed me!"

"WHAT!"

"No way! Ahhh! Where??"

Where indeed? Kagome smiled with amusement and shook her head gently. There wasn't a place on her body that her Inuyasha's lips hadn't been and she was willing to bet her family shrine that this waif of a child had not even pressed her lips against this boy's. More as like her cheek was the only inch on her slender body that had felt the clumsy press of lips from her nervous classmate.

But to see this young girl toss her hair over one shoulder made you know she was trying to seem more adult than she was, and that SHE held all the secrets to boys and love than her friends did. Kagome sighed and patted her daughter's back. Megumi rocked against the warmth of her mother and hummed soft baby sighs. Kagome's heart turned over as always and she pressed her child close. The second child she had made with Inuyasha...

"Good luck, kid... you're gonna need it," Kagome murmured softly and wished the young girl well. Not all advances into adulthood were flowery or beautiful, and this kid was in for a bumpy ride. But like as not, even though all she and Inuyasha had been through... Kagome wouldn't have traded the hardships she had endured at his side for years of wistful dreaming and venturing.

Megumi shuffled in Kagome's arms and turned to reach for the stray fries littering the fastfood wrapper before her. Kagome smiled and held a couple to her child's lips. She was just old enough to start eating solids and was experimenting with anything she could get her hands on. Inuyasha loved to indulge his baby girl with all sorts of sweets, which always incited a ready argument from Kagome. Kagome smiled as watched Megumi chew, her eyes wide open in wonder. She loved to spoil their daughter too, but she didn't want Inuyasha to give in to her every whim.

"That's his job for me, right, 'Gumi?" Kagome giggled. Megumi burbed and gazed in wonder up into her mother's face. Then she grinned.

"Heh," she agreed and rubbed a chubby fist against her sticky mouth. Kagome took a rag out of her diaper bag and gently rubbed her face. Then she made the task of collecting everything up and storing it in the gigantic shoulder bag. Sippy cup, rag, baby snacks, went into the diaper bag. Then she collected shopping bags with small boy's and baby clothing, one of Megumi's toys and her bear, and then the baby herself, and stowed them in her stroller.

Kagome buckled Megumi in and laid her seat back so she could nap if she wanted and collected her purse. Men and boys still oogled her, especially the curves two children gave her. Her round breasts strained her sweater and even the trio of giggling schoolgirls watched her with a note of admiration as she pushed the stroller out of the foodcourt. She still was beautiful, even with the obvious displays of man and children that held her far at bay from everyone. Inuyasha's ring glinted on her left hand and even though he was at home working in the shrine, she could feel his protection swept over her. If he were here now, he would be glowering at one and all for looking, even if Kagome was his and only his.

Kagome smiled and walked on, her wide hips swaying with her natural graceful gait. She was no schoolgirl anymore, not even as young as the other women her age. But she had to admit... she had matured and blossomed quite wonderfully. They both had, she had to admit.

Even though Inuyasha or she still had their nit-picking fights, they had toned their impatience down alot with the addition of two quarter demon children. Inutaro and Megumi had their work cut out for them in this modern world, and Inuyasha knew he had alot to teach them on how to live, and how to fit in this world of steel and humans.

It was so much easier in the far feudal past... to walk with or interact with demons or partial demons...

"Ma! Maaaa!" Megumi crowed importantly from the stroller. Kagome peered around the front to see her baby girl wriggling as they passed a pet store. Puppies perked their ears up at the quarter inu child and barked loudly. Kagome giggled as her daughter craned her neck, salt-and-pepper hair falling into her eyes and began to bark back in earnest.

"You silly baby! I think you made a friend," Kagome commented. Megumi barked and panted up at Kagome. Then she yawned widely. The wizened young woman set to pushing her progeny down the streets towards home. Shy young school couples mingled in a nearby park and their bashful wistfulness made her heart strain with the complicated memories of youth a few years removed.

"First date, huh? I wonder if Inuyasha and I ever had one... hmm, I think we did," Kagome murmured, her eyes softening. "Did you know we were always on the hunt, Megumi? I don't think your papa knew what a 'date' was."

"Pffffmmmmm," Megumi burbled and chewed on the ear of her teddy bear. Her darkened eyes fluttered and gently she drifted to sleep. Kagome sighed and strolled along. It had been so long since she had strolled along grassy hills with her beloved...

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Six years ago

"Hurry up, Kagome! We gotta find some more shards!"

"I'm comin', Inuyasha! What's the big hurry??"

"Wench, it's yer damn fault the Jewel was shattered to begin with! Now hurry it up!"

"Or what, Inuyasha? What you gonna do??"

"I'm gonna carry you under one arm like a sack if you don't hurry! Now hurry up!"

"Oh yeah?? OSUWARI!"

"Yiiipe!"

A dustcloud gathered over the horizon as Inuyasha thumped face first into the dirt, again and again as he and Kagome continued griping at each other. Inuyasha struggled to lift his neck under the weight of her accusations and glowered at her, his eyes crossed.

"Dammit, woman, yer hurtin' me!" he complained in a rare moment. Kagome faltered, seeing a large welt forming on his creamy brow and felt a pang of pity for the pale boy.

"Inuyasha, I didn't mean..." she began when Inuyasha took her hesitation to his advantage.

"HA! Fell for it, didn't ya?" he crowed as he leaped twenty feet away.

"OSUWARI!" Kagome screamed, the double syllable carrying across the wind to the beads and Inuyasha screamed as he was tugged in mid-leap back down by the harsh gravity of Kagome's subjugation.

The back-and-forth arguing was not a good side to their involuntary relationship. It had started with an accidental fall into the past and seeing a beautiful boy with strange ears pinned asleep to a tree, like some male Sleeping Beauty awaiting a kiss from a maid. THAT stupid thought of Kagome's had changed when he awoke and proved his tongue was bitter instead of sweet, pummeling her with insults and accusations. They had been teamed up by event, not by choice. Inuyasha wanted the Shikon Jewel and Kagome felt it her responsibility to form the broken pieces into it's original shape again.

They hadn't trusted each other. Kagome was in tears to think he hated her just because he could. What had she done to him in the first place? It wasn't her fault she had been born with the jewel inside her! He should have been grateful she had removed the arrow (never ask how she had managed THAT) that pierced him to the younger Goshinboku. Instead, he had tried to attack her! If not for old Kaede and a handy set of beads, she would have been eating dirt instead of him.

They WERE getting along more and more, weren't they? Kagome had to wonder. While Inuyasha demanded more and more of her time to search for the shards, was it due to some kind of buried affection than duty? He even knew the way to her time and house and could visit her any time they could see each other. 'He could even sneak into my bedroom late at night,' Kagome flushed at the thought.

Yes, sometimes there was the flicker of softness across his smooth features before he chose to frown his impatience at the world. He swore he would protect her. He leered as if jealous when other men gave her a single look that was not casual. He even carried her on his back when circumstance allowed! At those times, Kagome was sure he could feel all of her shyness quivering in her thighs as she gripped his back and waist from behind. Her small hands she kept pressed to his shoulders to try and keep some modesty between his back and her then small breasts.

How she longed to explore these burgeoning emotions! Was this what a crush in school would feel like, this pain in her chest everytime his golden eyes looked to her? Would his lips, parted to reveal slightly sharp teeth, want to press against hers? Would his eyes ever glaze in love and passion, answering the heat inside her when the sun stretched time to a crawl and they had a moment to breathe, to WONDER?

These were the thoughts of a 15 year old schoolgirl as she first began to know her Inuyasha. They had both been so young... Kagome in years, Inuyasha in maturity.

But a first date? Kagome wondered if the first time his golden eyes had fluttered open, bound against the tree could have been a date. It certainly was a piercing moment. Or the first time she had made him a bentou lunch?

Kagome could still remember the endless serenity of that afternoon so long ago, in her relationship to him and the present year! She had cooked intently, cut sausages and fish and rolled rice balls in seaweed paper with youthful care. Mama had been close at hand with a soft suggestion or two that Kagome was glad to take. And she had wrapped each bentou beautifully in soft linen, a delicate bow capping each masterpiece. How she had labored to show him some kindness so he would stop fighting with her! And hopefully, then he would begin to like her...

Kagome had climbed out of the BoneEater's Well carrying her treasures in a department store shopping bag. The paper straps were clenched in her fingers tightly as she walked through wavering grass looking for Inuyasha. The sun had been high, the cicadas had been singing, the time, perfect.

Inuyasha had been pouting in a tree, or whatever it was he did in his spare time, when she finally found him. Gently cajouling did not help his attitude. So she had been forced to compete in a screaming match that was becoming a regular routine for them. Kagome didn't want to "sit" him just yet, then he would never try her delecious homemade bentou! Inuyasha finally sat down on her spread picnic blanket, admitting that they needed their strength to continue the hunt today.

Kagome let it be and had unwrapped one square box, and lifted the top for him. Inuyasha held out one palm carefully, and had peered inside as if to find insects instead of rice and fish. He squinted, studied her careful arrangements and demanded an explanation.

"What the heck is this! Is this how you make fish in your time, Kagome? It smells kinda funny!"

Kagome had felt an embarrassing flush creep up her neck mixed with humilated rage. How dare he insult her hard efforts!

"It's just fish and rice, Inuyasha! Just like you eat here! We just season it more and make it look better!"

"This ain't no fashion show, Kagome! It's just lunch. Why go to all that trouble to put some food in your belly, huh?" Inuyasha wondered, pinching his claws around the chopsticks she had offered. Kagome felt the humiliation eat her like the constant rejection he showed and slammed her chopsticks onto the top of her bentou.

"You're so damn impossible! Just SIT, boy! OSUWARI! OSUWARI!" Kagome screamed her pain and Inuyasha was slammed face first into his own lunch.

"Wah!" he sputtered as rice flew up around his mouth, and into his throat. "Kagome!"

"Go sit on a tack!" Kagome gave back, inciting another thud into the carefully prepared lunches. She pushed off the blanket and dashed off, cursing herself for her dampening eyes and loss of temper. She hadn't meant for things to go this badly! Grass upturned beneath her shoes as she jogged away, and when she was safely away, Kagome lifted a hand to her eyes and wiped small tears away.

"You stupid... stupid! Stupid Inuyasha!" Kagome gave a shuddery sigh and hugged her elbows. She gave a partial sob and looked up into the leafy bowers of a nearby tree. This past world was so beautiful and peaceful... if she could get Inuyasha to shut his big mouth for one second! "Stupid... now who's stupid..."

Now she had gone and lost her temper again and sat him a few dozen times. He didn't like loud women, had gone and said so. He must have liked demure girls, like... Kikyo. She was once, and would always, be serene and humble, smooth and quiet. And he hated her now. She would never gain Inuyasha's tender affections because she reminded him of her!

The dreaded "her", the shadow that lay across the both of them, even as they traveled together, fought together, ate together. Kagome hated her! But she had BEEN her. In her past life, she had yearned to love Inuyasha as she surely felt so for him now. The Shikon Jewel tied their destinies together yet again in her next life, even though she was socially free to pursue him.

And he didn't want her, all the same!

Back at the abandoned picnic, Inuyasha picked his face out of fish and rice, grumbling to himself all the while. His heart tugged all the way down to his bare toes as he went over the play-by-play of their latest fight. He was always so hard on her, he had to remember, she was a woman and needed his protection. Not just that... she was alone too, as hopelessly alone as he had always been, and he knew she cared for him.

"If she only knew..." Inuyasha mumbled, licking his upper teeth clean of mashed rice. Involuntarily, he swallowed some and he stopped in amazement. "That damned woman... it really IS good."

Now he felt sheepish and a huge fool. If she only knew... how his heart yearned for what everyone else had and he didn't... He was always messing things up! Inuyasha carefully ate everything that was left in his bentou and picked up the shiny plastic box. He clumsily tied the linen across the top and cursed under his breath as it would up looking pathetic compared to Kagome's knot.

"Here goes... it'll have to do!" Inuyasha mumbled. He stopped on his search for her, and stooped to pick something up.

It didn't take long to find her. Kagome had gone only a short distance, and sat trying to hide from the world beneath a copse of trees.

"Hey," Inuyasha mumbled, stopping beside her shoulder. Kagome rubbed her wrist across one eye and his heart sank again. Was she crying? Did he do that to her?... "I... uh... "

"What now, Inuyasha? Come to get me so we can get started?" Kagome asked in a wavering voice. Inuyasha's ears lay flat against his head. She was trying so hard to sound tough and brave, so he wouldn't lay into her. He felt like a jerk and was glad to lean low and hold his hand out.

"Y-yeah... Guess I did. Uhm, here... it was really good," were all he said. Kagome looked down, astonished, at the clumsily wrapped bentou box. As Inuyasha walked back to collect her knapsack and blanket, her fingers carressed the flower laid across the top.

8

8

8

8

"Some first date, huh, Megumi?" Kagome laughed. Megumi was fast asleep. Kagome gently nudged the stroller into the walkway leading up to a nursery school.

She saw her four year old son before he saw them. He was running with other boys and girls his age, yelling and throwing a ball around. His shoulder-length white hair was flying with his movements, his ears hidden beneath a ball cap. Kagome smiled softly as he jerked to a stop, and clapped one chubby hand on top of his hat to keep it from flying off.

Inuyasha had taught him to be very careful about letting other people see his ears, after all. He didn't want his boy to be ostracized as he had been as a child...

"Inutaro! Hi!" she called, not finding it hard to slip into 'mommy mode.' The short boy looked around, his golden irises gleaming. His small nose worked a few times before he clapped a finger to it so the other kids wouldn't notice and he grinned widely.

"MAMA!" Inutaro yelled joyously. The other kids watched enviously as he ran over and wrapped his arms enthusiastically around Kagome's long legs, burying his face into her skirt. "You're here!"

"And Megumi-chan," Kagome added. Inutaro peered into the stroller and carefully patted his little sister's side.

"Gumi's tired, huh, Mama?" Inutaro asked sweetly. Kagome nodded and smoothed her palm over her son's round cheek.

"So is Mama. Shall we go home, baby?"

"Kay!" Inutaro agreed. He ran into the building to grab his jacket off his kiddie hook and Kagome bowed to the teacher, stopping to exchange a few words. Inutaro was a good child and eager to interact with other kids of the school. He would do just fine, even with his exotic looks.

Firmly holding her son's hand, Kagome watched after his steps behind the stroller. Luckily Ojii-chan was sweeping the bottom steps leading up to Higurashi Shrine so he helped lift Megumi's stroller up. Inutaro held onto his great-grandfather's hakama leg and got a lift all the way up. He giggled as they went.

"Where's Papa, Ojii-chan?" Inutaro asked as they got to the top step. He looked around but Inuyasha wasn't anywhere on the grounds.

Ojii-chan snuffed. "Probably lazing about. He's too tired these days! What's wrong with him, Kagome?"

"He's just fine, 'Jii-chan. Don't backbite him in front of the children," Kagome warned. Her grandfather slouched his shoulders and sighed.

"Of course, child."

"Look, there's Papa now!" Inutaro called. Kagome brightened and pushed the stroller closer to the house. Inuyasha was leaned up against the entry of the house, his head lolled back, mouth agape. He was fast asleep, only his white under haori covering his upper torso. As usual, his legs were a mystery in his billowy red hakama. His bare feet toed the air as he shifted in his sleep.

Kagome smiled as she laid loving eyes over her man. He had come a long way from the loud, blustering boy she had let free from the Goshinboku. His muscles were more pronounced though he was still slim as a reed. He had grown sweet, attentive and loving. With enough passion for three people, Kagome was pleased to know. As Inutaro carefully poked his father in the cheek, Kagome smiled and lifted Megumi from her stroller. More than enough passion with these two children...

"Muh! Hey! Whoa, Taro, what you doing back already?" Inuyasha asked, dizzily looking around. His arm swept around his son, making him giggle before his golden gaze settled along the round curves of his wife. His Kagome stood before him, their second baby sleeping nestled in her arms. The wisp of a schoolgirl, with a finger always pointed in his face and a snappy comeback on her lips flashed before his eyes, before blossoming out into this young mother with gently curving globes of flesh.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha murmured in greeting, feeling their years together crescendo to this one quiet moment. Kagome smiled, meeting his gaze, feeling the same way.

"Hi, love," she murmured. Megumi shifted and cried out in her sleep. Inuyasha was up on his feet in a moment, looking down into his daughter's face.

"Man, we make good-looking kids, Kagome," Inuyasha as usual, stated what was on his mind. Inutaro hugged his neck and giggled, not getting the implication. Kagome's cheeks flushed red but she held his gaze knowingly.

"That comes with lots of practice, doesn't it? You're never content until you have it perfect."

"Man, I'm getting it now!" Inuyasha pretended to complain and bent to kiss Megumi's soft brow. "She is a sweet thing, though..."

Kagome smiled as they made their way into the house's kitchen, Inutaro running around happily after being set on his feet. As Kagome bustled around with Megumi, she knew Inuyasha was standing there watching. He had that odd look of arousal and love in his eyes that she was blessed to know.

"See, your sweet side is your best side. You can make good things happen," Kagome agreed. Megumi was set into her baby carrier, and Kagome gathered up into two wiry-strong arms.

"I know I made this happen," Inuyasha murmured, settling his nose against Kagome's. She twined her arms around his neck and let him lean her back. "I didn't let myself stay afraid."

"I'm glad we did," Kagome agreed, remembering their first time. "I wouldn't have known how you felt about me if not."

"I would have told you, Kagome," Inuyasha laid his mouth against hers softly. Not too much, Inutaro was still zooming around. "One day..."

"I think it was our first date that did it, more than anything until we went for it," Kagome said, kissing his cheek.

"First... date? Huh?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome pressed her lips to his. Inuyasha's passion lurched as her curves pressed against his hips and chest.

"The bentou lunch I made. Remember? We had a fight and you picked a flower to give to me on top of it..."

"I wanted to cheer you up. I never had done anything like that before..." Inuyasha confessed.

Kagome wound her arms around his neck and smiled. "Oh, Inuyasha... I love you."

"Love you too, wife," he grinned.

"Mama, Papa! I wanna watch Yugi-oh!" Inutaro charged into the kitchen to interrupt their embrace. "C'n you turn it on?"

Inuyasha sighed and let go of his delecious mate. He let Inutaro take his hand and lead him to the living room. "Okay, okay, pup! I'll put on your show, already."

Kagome smiled, her heart full from the sight they made. "Inuyasha!"

"Yes, 'Gome?" he asked, stopping in the doorway. Kagome met his golden gaze.

"Give me your full attention later," she suggested. Inuyasha's lids drooped sexily and he almost licked his lip. His full attention almost pitched to full notice in a moment's instant.

"Anytime, anyplace, anywhere," he drawled and blew a kiss. Inutaro grabbed his hand again and Inuyasha smiled benevolently, going to spend time with his small son.

Kagome rocked Megumi and went about to making dinner. She had gotten alot better since her bentou recipe, after all.

End for now

penpaninu 8/18/08

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